Any Port in a Storm
by e.e. baker
Summary: A down on her luck drifter flies into Cape Suzette after getting lost in a storm and takes a temporary job at Higher for Higher. But, as the H4H crew gets to know her, it soon becomes clear that there is much more to this stranger than meets the eye.
1. Hurricane Rem

Hi. This is the first fanfiction I've ever written about anything. I hope ya'll enjoy it.

Note: Rated T because of gambling references, humourous drunkeness, some violence, and a rude gesture. - Nothing too major.**  
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**Disclaimer: **I do in no way support or condone gambling, drinking, lying, stealing, trying to dodge bullets, or picking fights with Thembrians twice your size. All of these unhealthy activates you will find in this story.

Talespin is © the Walt Disney Company.  
Rem is mine, though.

* * *

** Any Port in a Storm**

**1. Hurricane Rem**

"Broke again." Rem sighed and brushed her short, blonde hair out of her eyes, momentarily taking her hands off the flight controls. She was a cat of small stature, dressed in a messy, oil-stained tee-shirt and a pair of worn, knee-less blue jeans that reached to her the calves. Her fur was mostly white with several large black and orange patches. Her blue eyes were bright and intelligent, and if her hair hadn't been haphazardly thrown about and her clothes weren't so unkempt one might even say she was…pretty. Though that could be a stretch.

Outside the cockpit, lightning flashed across the night sky as sheets of driving rain pounded against the windshield like a swarm of bats out of hell. Rem adjusted a pair of old flight goggles on her forehead as she checked her altitude and fuel level. The small, single engine, float plane rocked and tipped violently in the storm, and the petite, Japanese bobtail pilot struggled with the wheel to keep the nose level.

"Man, my luck never changes," Rem said to herself aloud.

She continued in thought, "They lured me in with the flashing lights, and bright sounds. I always fall for it. And at first, it looked like I was going to get lucky this time. Just one more time, this time I'm gonna make it big! Blackjack was going really good, the chips were rolling in. Then I lost most of it on roulette, and then the last of it disappeared into the slot machines. Two grand, gone, down the drain. Two grand! Maybe I should try the greyhounds."

A huge bolt of lightening flashed very close, blinding Rem and causing the cockpit light to flicker.

"Man, that was way too close. I _got _to land her, but where?"

The cat stretched her neck to peer out the cockpit window and down at the pounding waves below.

Rem's eyes widened. "Wow, I'm a lot lower than I thought I was." She looked at her altimeter. It wasn't moving. She tapped on it. Still no movement. "Great, must have been that last lighting bolt." She looked ahead, scanning the horizon for any sign of civilization. Finding none, she unfolded a map with one hand while keeping the other on the steering wheel.

She studied the map closely, "Hmm…there should be a bay close by here…and some small islands." She picked up the radio receiver and pressed in the button. "This is Chrysanthemum seven nine seven. My position is…" She tilted the map sideways a little bit. "…Is somewhere in the neighborhood of…55 by 39 degrees. Does anybody read me? I need to land." She got back nothing but static. Her ears went flat and she scowled sullenly. "Great. My luck never changes."

She scanned the horizon again. Nothing. She was about to look away when a faint red glow caught here eye. Her ears moved forward and her face brightened by leaps and bounds. Another bolt of lightening flashed, illuminating an island out her portside window. She made out several structures near its shore and a tall, rocky mountain further inland.

"Land-ho!" Rem shouted and clapped her hands together gleefully, pulling her legs up into her chair. The plane pitched down sharply and she quickly grabbed the wheel, and got her feet back on the rudder pedals to steady the plane. She brought the nose back up and breathed heavily, "Whew. Don't do that again, Remie."

Rem headed towards the island, steadily dropping her altitude as the island grew larger in her window. A few moments later, she could see the source of the red glow she spotted earlier. It was apparently a huge, florescent sign perched on the peak of the mountain, with some palm trees. She squinted, to try to make out what it said, but the rain continued to blur her view.

Guessing her altitude, at around 500 feet, she tried to keep her path steady just a few moments longer on her final approach to the island. She gripped the wheel tightly and focused on her goal, "Come on, almost…there." 400, 300, 200, 100 feet. Her left pontoon hit the water roughly, nearly throwing the aircraft into a deadly fishtail. Rem instinctively pushed the rudder pedals sharply to the right. Thankfully, the aircraft straightened out as the right pontoon met the water's surface and the first part of the landing was successful. She pulled the throttle down. A wooden pier came up fast in her view…too fast…_way _too fast! Rem put the plane into reverse thrust. The distance to the pier grew smaller.

Rem gritted her teeth, "I'm still going too fast!" She swung the tail of her plane from side to side, attempting to slow it further. It was working. But was it going to be enough? The continued to slow as it reached the pier but it was still moving. Her plane hit the pier roughly, throwing her forward. The plane came to quick halt.

Rem, sat there for a few seconds, covering her head with her arms. She slowly put her arms down and looked around. She looked at her hands and smiled, "Wow, I'm not dead. Sweet!" She unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped up, "Well now, let's see what sort of place I've crashed into." She walked towards the door of the aircraft and then stopped. She turned back around and lifted a panel behind the pilot's seat, and reached into a compartment there, pulling out a short barreled thirty-eight revolver. "Better take this. No telling what kind people I'm going to find here." She clicked the revolver open, checking to make sure it was loaded. Satisfied, she closed it and slipped it into her right jeans pocket.

Finally, Rem adjusted a, five-compartment, green utility belt she wore around her waist and opened the door. A cold blast of wind and rain hit her in the face. She pulled her goggles down over her eyes and carefully stepped out onto the right pontoon of the plane. She quickly unwound a rope from a hitch near the front of the pontoon. Fighting to keep her balance as the plane rocked on the rough water, she took the free end of the rope and climbed onto the pier. She stretched the rope out over the pier and looked for a place to tie her plane down. She found one a few feet away and tied it. She turned towards what she guessed was the main building; a large, thatched structure surrounded by several smaller ones, at the opposite end of the pier. Rem shielded her face from the fierce winds of the storm as she made her way towards it.

She reached the front of the building and stopped and stood before two green, swinging doors with her hands on her hips. The doorway was lit by two standing torches. Through a small, circular window on each door, she could see bright lights inside, and she could hear a din of voices mixed with the sound of brass music. She looked up at the sign hanging above the entrance to the big bamboo and thatch structure. She lifted the goggles back onto her forehead to get a better look.

"Hmm…Louie's", huh? Sounds boring…Oh well, any port in a storm, I suppose." She rubbed her hands together. "Okay, time for a Rem-style grand entrance." She charged forward, pushing the doors open with both hands.

"Hiiiiiii!" She yelled loudly, bursting inside. The doors swung back on her and slammed shut. A moment later, she carefully pushed the door open again with one hand, clenching her sore nose with the other.

"Ouch."

The cat recovered from the blow and threw her head, flicking wet bangs out of her face. "Whew, man alive! It's worse than flying blind and deaf through the Bearmuda _Trapezoid_ out there! Woooo-_hoo_!" Mixed startled and irritated faces were turned towards the sudden racket at the front door, to stare at the short, noisy, bobtailed cat standing there. Even the brass band, playing from a large stage at the front of the room a few seconds earlier, had been cut off in mid staff. Rem smiled and looked around, enjoying the reaction. "Well, nobody's shot at me yet, that's refreshing. I guess this place is okay," She thought.

She stood in a large room, with round tables made from barrels scattered throughout. There were tribal masks and other oddities hanging on the balconies and walls, and the ceiling was decorated with a hanging, wooden chandelier and colorful streamers. There were also lamps made from old bottles sitting on shelves attached to the room's support pillars. Rem observed the patrons seated around the tables in wicker chairs and milling about between them. "Looks like a pilot's hangout. Sweet. I've landed right in my element." Monkeys dressed in colorful shirts, served the guests; the place seemed to be run by them.

Rem's eyes widened and heart jumped when she spotted the bar. Various bottles lined the uppermost shelves above the bar. Vodka, beer, wines… Rem's pupils began to dilate. "Alright, booze! This place is even better than I thought. Of all the dumb…Maybe my luck _is_ changing."

Rem strode towards the bar, with a skip in her step. The band on the stage resumed from where they left off. Most people lost interest in the blonde and turned back to their own business. Several of them snickered and gave catcalls as Rem passed by. She pretended not to hear them.

Rem stopped beside one of the barstools and turned her back towards it. She jumped up into the stool and spun it around to face the bar, with much finesse. She noticed a huge, burly rhinoceros clad in a heavy flight jacket sitting in the stool beside her, staring at her with a scowl. Rem slowly looked up at the figure towering above her. She could sense a strong smell of tobacco on his breath. She smiled uneasily and gave a little wave.

"Hiya," she said cheerfully.

The rhino grunted and looked away, murmuring something dark under his breath. Rem shrugged. "Tough crowd here." She turned to a squat orangutan behind the counter "A pint of your hardest liquor to _drown_ my sorrows, barkeep!" she ordered with a melodramatic fainting motion, laying her head upon the counter.

She quickly sat back up with her finger in the air. "No, no…no…_threeee _of 'em."

The orangutan, dressed in a blue and green Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat, with a floral lei around his neck, looked at the cat with interest. "Well, hello, I'm Louie," he said, in a slow, scratchy voice. "I'm the proprietor of this establishment."

"Hey, my name's Rem; just Rem."

Louie studied her for a moment. "Hey…aren't you a little young to be ordering liquor?"

Rem rolled her eyes. "Doink! I'm 22, man. I got ID if you need it."

She quickly reached into her jeans pocket and drew her revolver. The big rhino took one look at the gun and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He jumped, almost falling backwards out of his seat. He stared at the small cat wide-eyed. A little drop of tobacco juice escaped his lips and dribbled down his chin.

Louie stepped back, "Hey now. Watch it! "

Rem looked at the gun and flushed crimson. "Ah, uh…sorry, wrong pocket." She quickly slipped it back in her pocket. "You can't be too careful, ya know," Rem laughed. "You never know when you're gonna need a little extra protection, right?" Nobody said anything. Rem looked to the side and nervously played with the flight goggles on her forehead, "Yyyyeah. Well, just a minute here…" She reached into her other pocket and pulled out her wallet. She flipped it open and held her pilot's license up so Louie could see it.

He glanced at it and nodded. "My sincerest apologies for the mix-up, Cuz. Three mugs of the best I've got, come'n' right up." Louie turned around and took a bottle from the top shelf, and began filling the mugs.

Rem waived her hand, "No biggie, I get that a lot." The rhino relaxed but continued to regard Rem warily out of the corner of his eye. Rem looked back at the rhino and grinned. "I always keep one with me just in case. …Doesn't everybody?" The rhino shrugged and minded his own business.

A moment later, Louie turned back around and laid three full mugs in front of his feline customer. Rem picked up the closest one and downed half of it in one swig. She wiped the froth from her mouth with the back of her hand and set the mug down roughly. "Ahhh! That hits the _spot_. A few more of those and this whole rotten day will pass into memory. That's right, just a bad memory."

Louie smiled. "You wannna talk about it, Cuz'?"

"No thanks. That would just make it worse."

"Suit yourself."

Rem took another gulp. "Hey, how can a down-on-her-luck pilot make a quick buck around here?"

"Cape Suzette is the place to go looking for work. It's just east of here. It's a big town; you should be able to find a job, no problem."

Rem smiled mischievously. "Who said anything about working?"

Louie chuckled and shook his head.

Rem lowered one ear and looked at him quizzically. "What?"

"You just remind me of a guy I know, that's all."

"You don't say. Would I like to meet this 'guy you know'?"

"I don't know. I think you two would probably get along."

"You don't say?"

"I sure do."

Rem laughed out loud. "You're hilarious!" She leaned closer to him over the counter. "…Can I get your phone number?"

Louie blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Just kidding. Heh-heh! I actually prefer taller men."

Louie frowned at her suspiciously.

Rem punched him in the shoulder. "Come on, I'm just joshn' with ya, man.

Louie raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. I think that whiskey is already go'n' up to your brain."

Rem smiled animatedly. "I _hope_ so." She smacked her lips and folded her hands in front of her. "Soooo…Cape Suzette, huh? Sounds boring."

x x x x x

As the evening moved towards midnight, Rem finished off another mug and slammed it down on the counter, immediately grabbing up the next one. Now six empty mugs lay on the counter in front of her. Her flight goggles were slipping down onto her face crookedly.

Fortunately for him, the big rhino had moved on, leaving a particularly high-strung ferret in his place. He was trying to enjoy a perfectly non-alcoholic sarsaparilla but was being harassed by a very intoxicated cat.

"Hey, then you know what he said?" Rem continued in a loud, obnoxious voice. "Do you? I mean do you really?" She pushed the nervous ferret in the shoulder roughly, causing him to spill his sarsaparilla. He franticly grabbed at the tipping glass, catching it just before its contents went all over the counter and his lap. The ferret shuddered and gritted his teeth, gripping the glass with both hands.

"Hey, are you still listening?"

The ferret glanced at her, "Y-yeah…sure."

"'Cause… 'cause…I'll tell you what he said. I'll-I'll tell you right here…right now, I'll tell you! He said, he said _I_ was the one who needed a bath. Can you believe that jerk? I mean, _can_ you believe him?

"I…guess not."

"He comes waltzing onto _my_ plane with that dumb pacifier thing in his mouth and telling _me_…telling…telling me… Oh my goodness, w-what where were we?"

"He told you, you needed a bath."

"Oh yes, that's it! He tells me _I_ need a bath, when _he's_ the one who stunk worse than a skunk!"

This comment drew an indignant look from a black and white furred mammal sitting nearby. Rem took two more swigs of whiskey.

"So anyway, I grabbed my big crescent wrench—you should have _seen_ the look on his face; his eyes got as big as saucers! I chased him all the way to the back of the plane and he ran out the door. Now here-here's where I got it good: When I ran after him, he hid on the other side of the doorway and tripped me as I came out. I fell, face _first_ into the water below!

Then he-he hopped onto…onto the dock and was pointing at me, bobbing in the water like a soaked duck, just laughing his head off. But he turned his back on me, boy was _that_ a _mistake_! Don't you love it when people do dumb stuff that? Where you just can't resist giving them what's coming to them?" She dug her elbow into the ferret's side and winked. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you? Huh? Huh? You do, right?" Yeah, so he was doing his little victory dance up on the dock and I was sneaking up behind the chump…"

The ferret threw up his hands and jumped up from the stool. "I can't _take_ it any more! Why are we even talking about this? I don't care, you hear me? I don't _care_!" He turned to the door and ran towards it, leaving his barely drunk sarsaparilla behind without a second thought. "She's crazy, I tell you, _crazy_!" His voice faded out the door.

Rem reached out after him. "Hey wait, I was just getting to the best part!" Rem hiccupped loudly and teetered on the barstool, coming dangerously close to falling. She grabbed onto the edge of the counter to keep her balance. "Ah, who needs you? Yeah, yeah forget you and such! And all that…yeah." She gulped down more whiskey.

She turned to Louie. "You know, this place you got here isn't too shabby, Louis, Lowry…whatever your name is. It's definitely a lot better than coming in from a raging blizzard and sitting in a bar full of fat, sweaty Thembrians! Believe me, I know." Rem didn't notice that four Thembrian pilots had been sitting at the table behind her. The four warthogs looked back at her at the same time, giving her a deadly glare.

Rem continued without noticing, "In fact, I was just _in_ Thembria. What an awful place, let me tell you. The weather is atrocious, the natives are ugly and smelly…and grumpy too, don't forget grumpy. They've got lots of brawn but not one brain among them." She finished off her seventh mug and wiped her mouth on her stained shirt. She let out a loud burp. "It tastes so much better coming back up, woo-hoo! Say, barkeep, how about another? I've still got plenty of room!"

One of the Thembrians, apparently the ringleader, stood up abruptly. He was the bulkiest of the four, with one broken off tusk and a scarred cheek. "That's eet, I haf heard enough!"

Rem turned around to face the Thembrians. She crossed her arms and smirked cockily. "Well, well, well, to speak of the devils…"

The Thembrian pointed at Rem menacingly. "She has been causing an uproar for over half an hour. Louie, I demand you ask this girl tu liv before I forget _my_ manners."

Louie motioned to the angry Thembrian. "Cool your props, Boskov, I'll handle this."

Rem tugged on Louie's shirt sleeve, "Come on, Larson, I'm running dry here!"

Louie shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I think you've had enough, Cuz. Maybe you should give it a rest."

"What kind of talk is that? Come on, Louis, gimme another!"

"It's _Louie, _and I said, you've had enough. You're antagonizing my customers and you're making a fool of yourself."

Rem grew suddenly red in the face. "Y-you can't treat _me_ like this! This is an outrage! Do you have any idea who I am? Do you? Because…I'll, I'll, I'll…I'll tell you who I am! I'm the queen of Macadamia! It's true! I'm undercover. On…on a top secret mission to discover the fountain of eternal youth—which I've heard is in whiskey. This is a royal mandate, peasant. You can't stop a royal mandate, you know."

"I'm afraid you picked the wrong ape to try that one on. I've _met_ the queen of Macadamia, and she's a fox."

"But I _am_ a fox! Seriously! Look, can't you tell by the bushy tail?" She looked back at her stub. "Oh wait, I don't have a tail." She burst into a fit of boisterous laughter. "Get it? Huh? I-it's-it's not there, at all ya know… Like, like someone took scissors to it…c-c-cut it right off or somethn'. She was laughing so hard, tears came to her eyes." Y-ya know? Like all I got is a little stump back there. Itty-bitty…thing…" She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Hooo! Heh…okay, where were we?"

Louie propped his elbow up on the counter and rested his chin on his hand, smiling with his eyes half closed, "You're the queen of Macadamia."

Rem looked at him, confused. "The…the queen of what?"

"I think the alcohol killed one too many brain cells."

"What brain cells?" She laughed uproariously again. "Ya…ya know? I've been drinking so long…do I even _have_ any left?" She was silent for a moment. "…Kinda reminds you of Thembrians, huh? Did I forget tell you about their incompetent military?"

"Well I—"

"The High Marshal sure has a headache on his hands with that bunch. No doubt half the problem is that they're run by that imbecile, Colonel Spigot. Did you know it was an error in paperwork that got him his job? There was only one Thembrian that I ever liked; a sergeant, big guy. But even he couldn't pour water out of a boot with _instructions_ on the _heel_. Really though, he's a nice guy.

Hey, I just remembered a great joke. How many gears does a Thembrian tank have? Give up? Five gears! Four reverses, and one forward in case someone attacks from behind! Ever heard that one? Huh?"

This time all four Thembrians at the table behind Rem got up. They surrounded Rem's barstool. Boskov hit the counter in front of her with his fist. "You've gone too far now! You have insulted the name of our great country and our great military. I'll throw you out myself!"

Louie tried to calm him. "Boskov, I told you—

"You had your chance! Is thees what you call 'handling thees'? The time for talking is over; eet's time for _action_!"

Rem suddenly jumped off of the stool and faced the warthogs, snarling fiercely. Startled, the Thembrians took a step back.

"You want a fight, huh? I'll give you one! I've taken on whole squads of you brutes before. I'll take you all six of you…four of you! Come on!" She lost her footing and stumbled back and forth before carefully standing up straight.

Louie backed away from Rem. "You _are_ crazy!"

Boskov laughed. "Ha. Did you hear that, comrades? She wants to fight weeth us.

Boskov's three cronies snickered among each other. Boskov pounded his fist into his palm. "You want to try eet, short stuff? You can barely stand; much less throw a pun-AGH!"

Rem struck out and kicked him very hard in the shin. "I can still kick just fine, though!"

Boskov howled in pain and grabbed his leg. "You leetle—!" Boskov grabbed at her with both hands." Rem swung to the side with almost impossibly swift footwork. She pushed Boskov has he stumbled by, sending him crashing into the bar and falling on his backside. One of the other Thembrians, even bigger around than Boskov, immediately took Boskov's place, aiming a left hook for Rem's face. Rem dodged to the right; the Thembrian missed. He hesitated for a moment, surprised by her quickness.

Boskov got up from the floor and joined his two buddies in watching the one take Rem on. "Take her down, Veski!" Boskov yelled. Veski shook off his initial surprise and smiled evilly. He punched again with a right hook. Rem dodged left. He struck again, Rem dodged right. Left…

Veski reddened with anger and clenched his fist tightly. "Hold still, you!" Rem hit him in the face with a short, focused strike. He stumbled back. He recovered and lunged at her again, angrier than ever. He struck; she dodged and punched him again in the exact same spot. The Thembrian's movements started to slow. He punched; Rem dodged and hit him again. The Thembrain stumbled as his vision became blurry. He tried his best to hit the irksome, blonde feline but could only manage a lethargic half-swing. Rem hit him again, then again. The Thembrian teetered for a moment and then crashed to the floor, out cold.

Rem stared at the fallen warthog, looking as completely surprised at what she had just accomplished as Boskov and his two remaining thugs did, mouths dropped open.

Rem broke into a smile. "Ha! Victory…victory is mine! Who's the girl, huh? Who's the girl? Rem hopped up and down in small circles on the floor.

Boskov purpled (more so than usual) with rage. "Get her!" All three charged forward.

Rem jumped onto the nearest table. The three people sitting there quickly scrambled away as the Thembrians charged Rem. Rem nimbly hopped up onto the nearest table top, knocking several mug off onto the floor. The four people seated around the table scrambled away. One fell over backwards in his struggle to clear out. Rem jumped to the next table just as the three Thembrians lunged at her. Boskov slipped on the spilled contents of the mugs and crashed straight into the table, smashing it with his weight.

The other Thembrians chased after Rem as she effortlessly jumped from table top to table top, always staying one step ahead of them. Then she stopped and turned around to face her pursuers. Another Thembrian jumped at her, trying to grab her legs. Rem jumped away just in time once again. The Thembrian couldn't stop his momentum and landed on top of the table smashing it to pieces.

Rem let out loud yell and jumped into the air with her arms and legs splayed out, aiming for the last Thembrian. He jumped aside and Rem crashed face down onto the floor. The crowd that had gathered around the scene and the Thembrians stood silently for a moment, staring at the motionless cat.

Just then, Louie ran in with two bouncers at his side, "Alright everyone, party's over!" The crowd quickly parted to make room for them. "Move away from that cat!"

The Thembrians stepped back from the Rem. Boskov wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Fine, we were done anyway." He turned to his thugs. "Come on, boys, leets get out of thees loony bin. Get up, Veski."

Veski slowly got up off the ground, rubbing his head and teetering dizzily, "What… happened?"

"We're leaving, come on."

All four Thembrians walked towards the exit. Veski followed in back looking around the room, still disoriented.

Boskov stopped in the doorway and turned around. "You know, this proves the saying should go 'the _smaller_ they are the harder they fall.' And she was very small."

The other Thembrians laughed uproariously as the group walked away, their laughter fading into the night.

A monkey knelt down beside Rem, studying her closely.

"How is she, William," Louie asked him.

The monkey looked back at Louie. "She's out cold, boss. Should I try to wake her up?"

"NO!" Many in the crowd, yelled in unison.

Louie looked out over the crowd. Others in the back shook their heads vigorously.

Louie sighed. "Alright, let's at least get her up off the floor.

x x x x

Rem felt very dizzy and sick at her stomach. She slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, but it gradually began to clear. She found herself sitting alone, in a quiet corner, slumped in a wicker chair at an odd looking table set inside the hull of a rowboat.

She brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked around. Only a few tables were left occupied from earlier and the simian employees were sweeping the floor and wiping off tables and counters.

"Where in the world…?" Rem thought. She looked and saw Louie standing by the front door as patrons left. "See ya'll later, Clyde, Annette. Come back soon. See you tomorrow Mr. Benchly."

At the sight of the big ape, Rem's memory came back to her in a rush. She put her hand over her forehead. "Whoa, man…I shouldn't have drunk so much. It's a monster hangover if I ever had one." She repositioned her crooked goggles.

A monkey standing nearby spotted her. "Hey, Boss, she's awake," he called out to Louie.

Louie ambled over on his hands and feet. "So are you ready to pay up, Cuz? It's almost closing time."

Rem rubbed her eyes and sat up. "What?"

"You remember: seven whiskeys. Two ruined tables, and four smashed chairs. And plus a little extra for my trouble, bailing you out after that fight. Boskov had you."

Rem blushed, and nervously scratched the back of her neck. "Oh yeah, about all that…well you see I'm a little short on cash right now. Actually, you know what, I don't…have…any…money."

Louie laughed.

Rem smiled. "What? Do I remind you of that guy you know again?"

x x x x

Rem reached up to place another plate on top of the already precariously high pile to her right. An equally high pile of dirty plates sat on her left. As she took a plate down from the dirty pile it slipped out of her hand and landed in the brimming sink, splashing her with hot water.

"Man, not again!" Rem stepped back from the sink and looked down at her jeans. "Now my jeans are definitely soaked."

Louie walked into the room behind her, carrying more stacks of dishes. "After you get done with those I have a lot more stacks ready to wash. Then after you get done with that, I want you to mop the kitchen and the main room, including the stage, and then the balconies. After that, go around and help the others check the torches."

Rem looked back at him with a small sheepish, smile, "Yes, sir." She tilted her head to the side and looked at him dolefully, trying to make her blue eyes look as soft and pitiful as possible

"Uh-huh, you're really cute, but giving me bambi eyes isn't going to get you out of work."

Rem turned back around scowling, and roughly shoved another plate into the sink, which, incidentally, created a plume of water that hit her in the face. "A-aw, come on!"

"Temper, temper." He set the dishes down. "One more thing: after you get done checking the torches, I need you to patch some leaks on the roof from the storm. Think you can handle it?"

Rem sighed. "Yes sir."

"If you need anything else to do just let me know."

Rem laughed, despite herself. "Yeah…sure, Louie."

Later, Rem walked out onto the pier. She looked up at the clear night sky. The storm had passed and now it was only barely sprinkling. Rem admired the bright full moon and sparkling stars for a few moments before heading towards her plane, bobbing in the water a few feet ahead of her.

Rem yawned heavily. "Whew, it's time to turn in." She climbed into the plane and took a blanket out from the back. She sat down it the pilot's seat and reclined it back and putting out a foot rest. She pulled the blanket up to her chest and lay there for a little while with her hands behind her head, musing. "I guess it's as good a place as any," she thought, "Just as long as Karnage doesn't find me. Helmut better remember his promise, that big schnitzel." Rem smiled and stretched her legs out. "Yes. Look's like I'll be hiding out in this Cape Suzette for a while.

* * *

Stay tuned for chapter 2... 


	2. Cape Suzette

Cape Suzette: Being the second part of Any Port in a Storm. ;) I'm sorry it took so long (for those of you who were waiting).

I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

2. Cape Suzette 

The next morning, a brown, bear cup dressed in a worn green sweater and a blue baseball cap with the bill turned backwards, walked through the door of Louie's, carrying a large box. The cub strained under its weight, breathing heavily as he headed towards the bar area with it. He set it down in front of the bar; or rather it fell down in front of the bar and took him with it. "Louie, I brought that…crate you ordered," he breathed.

Louie put down the newspaper that he was reading and ambled over to the cub. "Hey, how ya do'n, Kit? Ah, it's finally here!" He spread his hands out over the top of the crate. He stopped and looked at Kit, narrowing his eyes. "You didn't look inside it did you?"

"No, you told me not to, remember?"

Louie smiled, and slapped the top of the crate. "Yes, I did."

"What is the big secret anyway?"

"You'll see…hey where's ol' Baloo? He didn't come too?"

"Nah, he had to go with Miz' Cunningham to one of those cargo carrier's conferences this morning. Wildcat flew me over here."

"What, Baloo didn't try to come up with some crazy excuse?"

"He tried, but she took him by the ear and practically dragged him to the conference."

"Sounds like her alright. Where's Wildcat, then?"

"He got distracted, down near the beach. He walked of saying something about 'pretty shells'. Don't worry, he'll be in—"

Kit was suddenly hit from behind; he stumbled forward, nearly loosing his balance. He grabbed his cap to keep it from falling off of his head.

He turned around to meet the indignity. "Hey, watch it, lady!"

Rem, holding a broom in her hands, reddened. "Oo…I'm sorry, kid. Didn't see ya there." She knelt down beside him. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay, kid?"

Kit blinked, momentarily distracted by the close proximity of her face to his. He brushed some wrinkles out of his left sleeve uneasily. "Yeah…um, just, be a little more careful."

"I know. I'm kinda clumsy like that." She stood up again. "So…what's in the box?"

"It's a very special first addition item I got direct from the factory." Louie cut in. "And as soon as you get back to work me and Kit here will get to opening it."

Rem's ears drooped. "Aww, why can't I see it?"

"Because the sooner you get back to work, the sooner I can get you off my hands."

Rem moved away, mumbling something to herself.

Kit watched her as she began sweeping again. He turned back to Louie and pointed towards Rem with his thumb. "Who's that, Louie?"

"Now, there's a crazy story. She calls herself Rem; came barging in here during that tropical storm last night, saying something about wanting to drown her sorrows, which turned out to be the beginning of _mine_."

Kit cocked an eyebrow. "Does she have a _last_ name?"

"She wouldn't tell me. She ordered seven mugs of my hardest whiskey, got drunk and started a fight with four Thembrians, took 'em all on at _once_. Then things started getting strange. She moved faster than I've ever seen anyone move in my life; not one of them ever got a hit in on her."

"Really?" Kit looked back at Rem, sweeping across the room.

She stumped her toe on a chair leg and started hopping up and down on one foot holding her other one in pain. "Ow-wch! Darn it!"

Kit looked at Louie as if he was joking. "Are you sure?"

"Saw it with my own _eyes_. It was an amazing feat especially for someone who just finished off seven whiskeys in a row. Half the time, I don't think she even knew what she was doing. In the end, she knocked _herself_ out and that was the enda that."

Kit smiled. "Now I can believe _that_ part."

"It turns out she couldn't pay for any of her drinks or for the damages she caused during that tussle with the Thembrians, so I've got her working for me till noon today."

Kit watched her some more. "She's seems pretty…friendly, though." _"She had pretty eyes too,"_ he thought.

Louie put his hands on his hips and frowned. "Too friendly, if you ask me."

"Well what about the crate? You didn't forget about it, did you?"

Louie brightened up. "Oh yeah. I have been keeping you guessing, haven't I? Well, let's open it up." Louie took a crowbar out from behind the drink bar and shoved on end under the edge of the crate lid. "Hey, get the other crowbar and help me out, will ya?"

"Sure Louie."

Rem seemed to appear out of nowhere and leaned in. "So is it a safe?"

Louie jumped, startled by her sudden appearance. He glared at her. "No, it's not."

"A new jukebox then? The one you got is boring."

"Look, do you _mind_?"

Rem looked up at the ceiling. "Sorry…" She turned around to leave again.

Kit and Louie returned their attention the task at hand. "Prepare to be amazed, my friend," Louie said to Kit. They worked together, pulling the lid of the crate up with the crowbars. The crate creaked and snapped as the nails were wrenched out. Finally the lid gave way and clattered to the floor. They both reached inside and hoisted a large metal contraption out, setting it out on the floor. The contraption consisted of three large tanks, a mechanical arm assembly, some buttons, and several other gadgets that Kit couldn't identify.

Kit scratched his head as he studied it. "What _is_ it?"

Louie grinned from ear to ear. "Don't you know? This is the Barmate 3000; all-purpose ice cream maker, drink dispenser, and foot massager. It's completely automatic with voice recognition and it's fully programmable. Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen in your life?"

Kit looked to the side. "Yeah…sure."

"Now I've just got to figure out how to program it."

"Sweet, a Barmate 3000. I've heard of those before," came a voice right by Louie's ear.

Louie looked to see Rem leaning over his shoulder. "Are you still _here_?"

Rem put her hands up. "I'm going, I'm going! Sheesh."

Louie watched to make sure she actually left this time. "Yep, she's _very_ friendly."

A mane-less lion with a ponytail walked up, wearing an orange visor with a turned up bill and a blue, mechanic's jump suit. "Hey, Louie, you have the prettiest shells on your beach," he said in a strange, squeaky voice that went up in pitch at the end. His voice seemed to carry a slight speech impediment. "I tell ya, your island is the coolest place, Louie." He paused. "Who's that ya'll were talking to?"

"That's Rem," Kit said. "She couldn't pay for her bill so she's working for Louie a little while."

"Her bill? She's not a duck, is she?"

"No, Wildcat, a bill as in money she owes to Louie."

"Oh, oh yeah. I-I knew that."

"Why don't you two order some ice cream or something while you're here?" Louie asked. His face suddenly brightened. "Say, want to try out my new hardware?"

Kit looked at the machine doubtfully. "I don't know, Louie, maybe next time."

"But don't you want to see this baby in action?"

"You'd have to freeze the ice cream first, right? Plus you still need to set it up and everything."

Louie scratched his head. "Oh yeah…I guess that's right. I'm sure I'll have it ready by the next time you drop by. Well you want to order something anyway?"

Kit grinned. "Definitely."

Kit and Wildcat took seats at the bar.

Louie went behind the counter. "Alright, what'll it be?"

Kit pointed to the menu hanging above the bar. "I think I'll have a double triple, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate fudge sundae. With two cherries."

Wildcat looked at the menu and back to Kit. He motioned with his thumb. "Ahh…..what he said."

"Both very good choices," Louie said. He fixed their orders and set the sundaes in front of them."

Kit motioned to Wildcat. "Come on, Wildcat, let's take a table." After they were both seated, they began to dig into their confections. As Kit's attention was focused on his sundae, he sensed someone approaching.

Wildcat saw her first. "Hey, it's that lady ya'll were talking to a minute ago, Kit."

Kit looked and saw Rem heading straight towards them, broom still in hand. Kit rolled his eyes. "What is it _this_ time?"

Rem stopped beside the table. She smiled affably. "Hiya. Umm…Kit, isn't it?"

"…That's right."

"So you know Louie, huh?"

Kit hesitated. He didn't see why she was so interested in his and Louie's business, but he couldn't think of a reason not to answer her either. "Yeah, I've know him for about a year, now. Why?"

Rem waived her hand. "Oh no reason, just making conversation."

"Look, I'm not trying to be rude, but shouldn't you finish your work, Miss Rem?"

"Come on, I just want to stop and talk for a little bit. My feet are starting to hurt." She motioned to the chair next over from Kit's. "Can I sit down?"

Kit looked at Wildcat, who shrugged in response. Kit looked back to Rem. "I guess so."

"Ah, thanks, Red!" She patted Kit on the back and sat down, propping the broomstick against the table. She looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "Yeah…that'll be your nickname." She winked and nudged Kit in the side, perhaps a little too roughly. "You should consider that an honor 'cause I only give nicknames to people that I _like_."

Kit straightened his cap, which had been thrown crooked by Rem's "nudge", and looked to the side. "Um, yeah, it's certainly…an honor," he mumbled."

"Oh and Miss Rem is way too stuffy. Just call me Rem, 'kay?" She picked up her leg and started massaging her foot. "Ooo, yes…much better." She paused to look at Wildcat. She smiled and nodded towards him. "Who's your friend, there, Red?"

Wildcat took of his visor and held it in both hands. "My name is Wildcat. Most people call me…Wildcat, though."

Rem couldn't help but grin at the sound of his voice. "Well I'm happy to meet you, Wildcat." She extended her hand to him across the table.

Wildcat reddened a little. "It's even nicer to meet you."

"Thanks, Wildcat. That's sweet of you to say." She looked to Kit. "So, Kit…do you know where Louie keeps his safe?"

Kit immediately became suspicious. "No…why do you want to know?"

"Oh…I was just curious." She propped her elbow up on the table rested her chin on her hand. "So, how's the sundae? Is it good?"

Wildcat answered first. "I'll say! They say a sundae a day keeps the doctor away, ya know."

Rem looked at Wildcat through half closed eyelids. "I think you mean an apple a day there, sport."

"I-I know. I just changed it up a little bit."

Rem laughed aloud at his high-pitched inflections. "You're adorable, Wildcat!"

Wildcat grew red in the face and looked down at the table. "Uh, thanks…Rem."

"Don't mention it, Wildcat. Let's see…how about I call you 'Skipper'."

Wildcat looked up. "Wow, I get a nickname too?"

"You sure do. Wear it with pride, my friend. You know—"

"REM!" Louie yelled. "What are you doing? Quit disturbing my customers and get back to _work_? I'm not going to say it again!"

Rem jumped up. "Oops, heh-heh! Time to go! Hey thanks for talking to me, guys. I was nice to meet you two." She grabbed the broom and hurried away."

Kit and Wildcat looked after her for a few moments.

"Very nice lady," Wildcat commented.

Kit took a bite of his sundae. "Uh huh…I think I'm starting to agree with Louie."

x x x x x

The sun shone brightly through her cockpit window as Rem approached the towering cliffs, surrounding Cape Suzette.

Rem smiled happily as she listened to the low hum of the engine. "Ah, freedom once again."

The air traffic controller directed her through a split in the cliffs. Rem watched the walls of the passageway warily as she carefully guided her plane through it.

"I wonder if they could have made this town any more dangerous to get into?" she thought.

She saw many dwellings and platforms build into the walls, on ledges and outcroppings connected by rope bridges. Soon she emerged from the passage into a beautiful sight. The city of Cape Suzette sprawled out ahead of her, bathed in warm afternoon sunlight, as she passed over the sparkling waters of a pristine bay many feet below. The water was dotted with small, green islands, right up to the docks and warehouses lining the shore. The long wharfs jutting out into the bay were filled with all manner of watercraft from sailboats, to catamarans, to big cargo ships.

As Rem continued to approach she saw Clusters of homes and other buildings lining the wide, open streets, leading from the shore, into the heart of the city. Tall, green hills were scattered throughout the city and the suburbs. There were many high office towers and other commercial buildings a little further inland, towards the center of the city. In the areas surrounding this commercial district, the masses of buildings grew ever more sparse, giving way to hilltop villas and apartment complexes

Rem observed one skyscraper taller than the rest. It rose regally and ominously above all the other buildings around it, defining the Cape Suzette skyline.

"Some corporation has a pretty high opinion of itself—wait, I've seen that building before. That's Kahn Industries. Oh…so this is _that_ Cape Suzette." She rubbed her chin. Hmm…that guy's coffers are certainly ripe for picking.

White jets of water spraying up behind the twin pontoons as Rem landed smoothly on the surface of the crystal water. Using the buoys there to guide her path, Rem taxied towards the shoreline. She scanned the crowded docks for an empty spot. She taxied up one end of the wharfs and then came back down again, getting more and more aggravated as time went by. Finally, she spotted an empty space.

"Yes!" she breathed. She turned towards it, but as she neared it a sleek speedboat came, seemingly out of the blue and cut her off, slipping into the empty spot. Rem scowled and fingered her revolver for a moment, before sighing and then turning to find another empty space.

Rem continued to move up and down the line. She slumped down in her seat and rested her chin on her hand. "This is so bogus…"

Rem casually looked a little ways down the line and then her ears moved forward suddenly and she sat up straight. She had spotted a gap between two yachts. She guessed it was barely six feet across. She eyed the gap for a moment and then cautiously looked back and forth across the docks. She eyed the gap some more. She taxied towards the gap and stopped in front of it. She looked back and forth again. Then she pushed the throttle up and rammed her way in between the yachts, grinding them up against the other boats around them. She stopped and cut the engine. It sputtered and then died, as the spinning propeller came to a halt. Rem rubbed her hands together. "There, problem solved."

Rem climbed out of the plane and walked onto the wharf. She stretched her arms out and closed her eyes, letting her fur soak up the sun's warmth. After a minute or two, she put her arm down and looked around. "Okay, where to?" She thought for a moment. "Let's see what Cape Suzette has to offer. Who knows, maybe they have a casino in one of those ritzy districts. The rich gotta play somewhere. And the not so rich…like me."

x x x x x

Rem walked briskly down the sidewalk that ran along the main street of Cape Suzette, with her hands behind her head. She tilted her muzzle up and breathed in the crisp ocean air flowing in from the coast. The entire city exuded sunlight. It bathed every building, every tall hill, every tree, and every citizen in its splendor.

People of all species bustled past her in both directions while a light traffic moved along the broad, two-lane thoroughfare. Most everyone threw her some kind of greeting or another as they passed. Rem smiled and nodded in return.

She brought her hands from behind her head and casually slipped them into her jeans pockets. She looked down the rows of motels, open-air cafés, and various shops and businesses that lined both sides of the street. She studied the signs and billboards as she past them. "If only I had some money to spend at one of these cafés. I'm famished."

A small voice spoke to her from inside her head. "Duh, Rem. You gamble away all your _money_. Wake _u-up_."

Rem stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Well I can't help it. The bank is boring!" Several pedestrians stared at her as they passed. Rem coved her mouth when she realized that she had just answered herself out loud. "I'm losing it _already_?" she thought. "I'm going to be senile before I'm fifty."

As she approached an intersection, she saw a young beaver standing on the curb with a stack of newspapers under one arm and waving a copy about with his free hand. "Extra, extra, air pirates hijack cargo shipment from the museum of antiquities!" The boy called out in a loud voice. "Thousands of dollars worth of artifacts stolen, including an ancient map! Extra, extra!"

Rem stopped when she heard the news story. She smiled to herself and chuckled. "Nimrods." She approached the boy. "Hey, I'll take one of those."

"Sure ma'am." The young beaver handed one out to her.

She grabbed the paper and started flipping through it. "Let's see, classifieds… classifieds… classifieds…" She murmured as she turned the pages.

The beaver waved to get her attention. "Um, ma'am? You have to pay for that, ya know."

"Ah, here they are. A…albacore, asbestos, _aviation_…pilots needed." She started walking away.

"Ma'am? Lady?"

The paperboy's voice gradually faded into the back of Rem's mind as she scanned the want adds closely. "Hmm…janitor needed, janitor needed… navigator… handyman… come on, doesn't anybody need a _pilot_? A _co_-pilot at least, big town like this?"

"LADY!"

Rem nearly jumped out of her skin and her fur bristled. "Gah! What! What!" Rem looked back and forth, searching for the disturbance."

"I'm over _here_."

Rem turned around and saw the beaver standing there tapping his foot impatiently and holding out his hand. "That'll be fifty cents."

"Huh?" She looked down at the newspaper. "Oh, oh yeah." She smiled at him sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Uuuh, tell ya what, I'll—"

Rem suddenly froze when she spotted a police car coming up to the intersection on the opposite side of the street. Rem's heart beat doubled on site of it. Still holding the paper, she dashed behind a water keg just inside the entrance to a little open-air market.

She crouched there and watched as the cruiser reached the stop sign. Rem gritted her teeth. The police cruiser continued straight, through the intersection and down the street.

Scratching his head, the paperboy looked at Rem, and then at the disappearing police car.

Rem only dared show her face again once the police cruiser was out of site. She stood up and walked back over to the paperboy, looking cautiously back and forth.

The boy regarded her warily. "Are-are you in trouble, ma'am?"

Rem laughed. "Who, me? No, no. Well, not yet at any rate." She tore the ads page out of the paper and handed the rest back to the beaver. "Thanks, see ya!" Rem dashed off down the sidewalk.

"Hey wait! You can't do that! Stop!" Rem turned a corner and ran out of sight.

x x x x x

The hour hand of the clock on the church steeple behind her was just reaching three o'clock. Rem sat on a bench in a quiet area near the docks, reading the ads page. She finally put the page down in frustration and stood up. "Maybe I'll have to start going from door to door or something."

Rem put her hands in her pockets and headed for the water's edge. She strolled down a street along the shore, occasionally looking into the water to watch a random group of ducks or to toss in a stone or two. The shore was protected by a stone and concrete seawall than ran its entire length

As Rem neared the end of the road, she looked up at a big arching sign there. "Higher for Hire, air freight and courier service." She grinned. "_That's_ the corniest thing I've ever heard." She looked farther ahead and saw a tall building near the edge of the water that appeared to be an old lighthouse. "That must be the place."

She looked down a wharf that jutted out from the corner of the sea wall on which the old lighthouse was built. There was a large two engine, yellow seaplane with a double tail assembly parked there. Rem's eyes grew wide. "Wow! An A-675 Seaduck, I can't believe my eyes! Those things are awesome! I _gotta_ get a job here." Rem hurried towards the front door. "Air freight is a busy business, I'm sure they could use an extra pilot."

Kit stood just inside the entrance to Higher for Hire. He was pulling a small red wagon behind him with a young female bear cub dressed in a blue jumper sitting inside. The little cub had blue ribbons tied around each ear like pigtails. She wore a little red cape on her back and a colander on her head while clutching a small doll at her side.

"Are ya ready to got get some icecream, Molly," Kit said, smiling down at the girl.

Molly frowned at him and put her little hands on her hips. "No…_Dangerwoman_ is ready to get some icecream."

Kit laughed. "Oh, sorry. My mistake."

"She needs to hurry to get new icecream cones for the people of Cherryland to replace the ones that the evil Melter stole."

Kit cocked an eyebrow and smiled. "Oh, for really?"

"Yep."

"Well you've got your money, right?

"Yeah, Lucy's got it right here." Molly reached into the pockets in her doll's dress and felt around. "Wait a minute…Lucy!" She held the doll out in front of her. "Did you forget our money _again, _Lucy?"

Kit put his hand over his forehead. He sighed. "Oh boy. Well…let's go back inside and—"

Kit heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Rem march purposefully up to the front door and rap on it with two quick strokes. She stepped back from the door and waited with her hands on her hips.

Kit stared for a moment. "Miss…Miss Rem?"

Rem's left ear twitched when it picked up the sound of her name. She turned and stared back at Kit. Her face suddenly brightened. "Oh hiya, kid." She walked over to Kit and Molly. "Don't tell me…Kit, right? Sorry, I don't remember names too well."

"That's right."

She looked at Molly. "Who's your little friend, here?" She knelt down beside the wagon and got level with the girl's eyes. "Well aren't you cute. What's your name, sweetie?"

Molly, put her finger in her mouth and spoke in a small voice. "I'm Molly."

"Molly? Ooh…that's a really pretty name. I'm Rem." She pointed to Molly's cape and the colander on her head. "And what are you supposed to be, Molly? A pirate or something?"

Molly giggled. "No, silly, I'm Dangerwoman. Protector of the innocent!

Rem laughed and ruffed Molly's hair. "Of course you're not a pirate, what was I thinking? You're right, Blue; I am kinda silly. Ya mind if I call ya Blue? It's a special nickname just for you." Rem tickled Molly's side. "It means I like you."

Molly squirmed and laughed. "Okay."

"Sweet." Rem stood up again. "Man, I love kids." She looked to Kit. "So what are you doing here, Red? This can't be a coincidence."

"So she didn't remember my name but she remembers the nickname she gave me? Why do I get the feeling that she's putting on some kind of act," Kit thought. He answered Rem aloud. "I live here. What are you doing here?"

"Oh I came here to look for a job. The big ape told me this town was the place to go. I've been broke since last night, see."

"Yeah, Louie told me about that."

"Hey is the manager in?"

"Sure. Sometimes you just have to knock a little harder for her to hear you. She gets kinda busy this time of day."

"Okay thanks, Red." She headed for the door again.

"I don't think we're hiring right now though."

Rem seemed not to hear him. She knocked on the door, this time with some force.

She heard some commotion inside. And then a voice nearing the door, "I'm coming, hold on."

A brunette female bear opened the door. "Yes, can I help you?" The bear was about Rem's height, dressed in purple jacket with a white undershirt and blue slacks.

Rem put on her most affected smile. "Hiya, I'm Rem." She extended her hand and shook with the brunette. "I'm pleased to meet you Miss…um…"

"Rebecca Cunningham."

"I, uh…I was wondering if you could use a hand. I'm looking for a job, you see. I'm a pilot."

The bear studied the bobtail's oil spotted shirt and tattered jeans, raising a dubious eyebrow. "I'm um…sorry, Miss Rem, but we already have a pilot."

Rem quickly followed up with another pitch. "I have a Masters Degree in aviation engineering too. I can fix stuff for you. Or even redesign it, make it even better."

"I'm sorry, but we already have mechanic too."

"But you don't have an _engineer_. An engineer is much better than a simple mechanic."

"Look, I would like to help you but we're not hiring right now. I'm very busy—"

Rem caught the Rebecca's shirt as she started to turn away. "But I'm flat broke, destitute. Please, you've got to have _something_."

Just then, Molly poked her head into the doorway and tried to slip passed Rem and the brunette.

The Rebecca gasped and nearly tripped when she felt molly run into her leg. "Molly!" She gritted her teeth and caught the girl's arm. "What are you _doing_?"

"Lucy forgot our icecream money again; I gotta go get it."

"Sweetie, mommy's talking to someone right now. Please say _excuse me_ before you try something like that." She gently pushed Molly off. "Now go on and get your money."

She turned back to Rem, "Miss, Rem, I can't afford to pay another employee, I'm sorry. We have everyone we need. Why don't you try the want ads?"

"Ah…um, all blocked out. I guess everybody else is booked solid too?" Rem grinned, hoping the bear would buy that."

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "What? I find that slightly hard to believe."

"Who're ya talkn' too there, Beckers." A low, easygoing voice approached behind Rebecca. A big, gray bear wearing a khaki shirt and a maroon flight cap walked up and looked over Rebecca's shoulder.

Rebecca grabbed the edge of the door to close it. "It's nothing, Baloo, she was just leaving."

"Wait a second, Becky. What's she want?"

Rem latched onto this newcomer as a possible way around Rebecca's stonewalling. She moved a little farther into the doorway. "Please, I'm broke and I need a job really bad! Just until I can make enough money to leave here, that's all I ask. I'm a very good worker. You won't regret it, I promise."

The big bear chuckled. "Well I don't see anything wrong with that. Why doncha give her a job, Becky?"

Rebecca patiently pushed her back out as politely as she could. "Listen, Rem.

I told you—"

Molly tugged on Rebecca's pants leg. "Mommy, I can't find our money. Please come an' help me look for it."

"Molly, what did I tell you about being responsible with your allowance? Mommy is busy, you'll have to wait."

Kit poked his head in. "Hey, Miz' Cunningham, where's Molly? Is she ready to go yet?"

"NO! She's not ready yet!"

Kit's face fell. "Oh…sorry Miz' Cunningham."

Rebecca sighed heavily. "No, no I'm, sorry Kit. I shouldn't have yelled." She scowled at Rem. "I can't give you a job, Rem, that's my final answer. Now please leave before I call the police." She took her daughter's hand. "Come on, Molly."

She tired to leave but Rem lunged and grabbed her right leg. "Please, Miss Cunningham, I'm begging you!

"No! Now let go of my leg!"

"I'll take minimum wage, even pennies if I have to! Just until I can buy enough supplies to leave town, please!"

Baloo laughed. "Oh come on, Becky, ya got 'er groveling on the floor for Pete's sake. Give the poor girl a job."

"Baloo! I'm already paying _you_ too much. How are we going to take on another employee? Besides, we don't know anything about her, no background—she may have a criminal record for all we know."

"With a face like that? I'm sure she's harmless."

Wildcat walked up. "Ah…hey Baloo? I fixed the googlschlocker on the Seaduck again. I don't think you'll be havn' any more problems with it for—hey, what's everybody doing over here? Getn' ready for a group hug or something?" He stopped in surprise when he saw Rem. "Hey, it's Rem!" Wildcat waived to her. "How are ya do'n, Rem?"

Rem grinned and waived back. "Oh hiya, Skipper! Sweet, you work here too?"

Rebecca turned around. "You know her, Wildcat?"

"Sure I do. Kit and me saw her at Louie's."

Molly tugged on Rebecca's leg again.

"Not now Molly, I'm trying to get this lady to leave."

"But I like her, mommy, why can't she stay?" She looked up at her mother with big, pitiful eyes.

"Molly—agh, I don't have _time_ for this!" She stood, pinching the bridge of her nose with her eyes closed and then she turned to the blonde cat. "Alright, Rem, I'm going to let you work here, at minimum wage for maybe a few days and…then…we'll see how things turn out from there."

Rem grabbed both of Rebecca's hands and held them, shaking them vigorously. "Oh thank you so much, Rebecca! You will _not_ regret this, I promise you!"

Rebecca indignantly removed Rem's grip on her hands. "Let's leave it at Miss Cunningham for now Rem, okay?"

"Oh, oh…sure thing, sorry. Heh-heh! Okay then…when do I get started?"

"You said you're an engineer, right? I suppose you can start by helping Wildcat. He's our mechanic.

"Your plane? You mean that C-676 Seaduck outside?"

Baloo jumped in. "Actually it's _my_ C-676 Seaduck," he stated proudly, pointing to himself with is thumb. "I modified 'er myself."

"No joke? Hey…can I…see it up close?" Her eyes were wide and excited.

"Hey-hey, I think I'm startn' ta like this kid already."

"I'm Rem, by the way. And you're Baloo, right?"

"Why don't you and Wildcat show her around?" Becky suggested. "I'm going to go help Molly."

Kit spoke up, "Wait, I'll do it Miz' Cunningham."

Becky sighed in relief. "Thank you, Kit."

He turned to Baloo. "See ya later, Papa Bear, Me and Molly 'll be back from the ice cream stand by five."

Baloo waived. "See ya, Lil' Britches." Kit took Molly's hand and went into a back room.

"Well, Rem, first off, that's Becky's office ta yer right over there…" Baloo pointed to a long desk and a row of filing cabinets at the head of the room. "Storage room in backa that."

Rem looked at the back room thoughtfully. "I guess that's where you keep your safe, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, that's right."

"Oh. Okay, what else?"

"Up stairs in the very top is my room and Kit's room. There's a guest room down on the far end of the balcony. I guess that's where you'll be stayn'. Ya may need ta fix it up a bit; no one's been in there for ages. The dock is out here." He walked passed an old grandfather clock, towards a door at the far end of the room.

Rem clasped her palms together. "Great then, let's see it." Rem followed Baloo and Wildcat out the door and down a plank that spanned a short drop from the sea wall down to the wooden dock.

Rem nudged Baloo. "Say, what's up with the jobs here? Why doesn't anybody need pilots?

"Pilot's positions are hard to come by this time a year because the demand is so low dur'n storm season. Kahn's people and the freelance pilots take up most of the positions and the rest of 'em disappear faster than Krakatoa Specials at happy hour."

"So Skipper…Wildcat…you're the resident grease monkey, right?"

Wildcat scratched his head. "Well, I do get alota grease on me."

"So I guess I'll be working with you, huh?"

"I guess so."

"Sweet. I'm looking forward to it."

"Hey, me too!" "Ah, I mean uh…yeah. I'm sure it'll be fun."

Rem looked ahead and spotted the Seaduck. "Awesome, there she is!" Rem ran over to the yellow seaplane and put her palms flat against the fuselage. "Sweeeeeet!" She put her cheek against the metal, soaking up the warmth.

Baloo chuckled. "Well I've heard of tree huggers, Wildcat, but _plane_ huggers…"

Wildcat looked up at him. "I think she babies the Seaduck more than you do, Baloo."

"I think you're probably right, Wildcat."

Rem stepped back and looked the plane over. "This is so awesome. We got an outboard pontoon assembly, twin Superfly 100 engines… _perfection_.

Baloo walked up behind Rem. "Hey slow down, kid. Ya just met 'er after all."

Rem smiled back at him. "Can I look inside?"

"Be my guest."

"Yes!" She opened the cockpit door and climbed inside. Baloo and Wildcat stepped in after her. Rem headed for the front of the cockpit but suddenly stopped when she heard some music playing from the back of the plane. "Hey…I recognize that music."

"I guess I forgot to turn the record player off. I'll take care of it real quick."

"Sweet, that's 'I've Got Them Flat Broke, Sticky Shoe, No Banana, Boogie-Woogie Blues'! I _love_ this record! Turn it up, will ya?"

"You're a fan? You're full of surprises, Rem. I think you're A-alright. I don't see why 'ol Beckers was so hung up on ya."

Baloo went into the back and turned the music up.

Rem called into the back. "Yes, that's better!" Rem sat down in the pilot's seat and grabbed the wheel with both hands, turned it one way, and then the other, then pushed it forward and back. Her brow furrowed. She put her feet on the rudder pedals and worked them. She thought for a moment, rubbing her chin. She pulled the flaps lever down and then looked outside to watch the flaps move. Her brow furrowed further. Just then, Baloo came back up to the front. Rem turned to him. "Hey, Baloo? Can I fire the engines up for a minute?"

"Sure, I suppose. Why?"

"I'm not sure." Rem pushed the starter button. There was a loud bang as the percussion charge lit the fuel mixture. The twin engines sputtered for a moment and then roared to life. Rem sat there with her hand cupped to her ear. She waited.

"Uh, Rem, what's this about?"

"Shhhhhh! I need complete _silence_," Rem hissed. Baloo appeared taken aback. Rem smiled at him and spoke in a gentler voice, "Just for a minute, 'kay?" She turned back to the flight to the flight controls and continued to listen with furrowed brow. She started nodding. "Uh-huh…hmm…that's not good.

"Is there somethn' wrong with my plane?"

Rem shut the engine off. Baloo, I need to see your hydraulics system. Wildcat, come with me. You need to see this too. Rem hopped up and headed out the door.

"Now wait just a minute. If something's wrong with my plane, you gotta tell me what it is before going snoopn' around in the hydraulics. She's a delicate machine."

"Come with me and you'll see. I'm an engineer, trust me."

"Trust you? Rem, I like you, but I just met ya. Ya hafta _earn_ trust."

Rem suddenly stopped. She turned around and glared at him. "That's what I'm _doing_." Rem climbed up on top of the left wing and lifted a panel there. She fixed her flight goggles over her eyes and studied the inside of the wing. "Yep, s'what I's afraid of." She climbed over to the engine and removed a panel there. "Ah-ha…_there's_ the problem."

Baloo shook his fist at her. "Now wait just a cotton-pickn' minute! I told you not to go snoopn' around!

Rem smiled down at him and Wildcat. "You two come on up here. I'll show you what all the fuss is about."

Baloo started climbing up. "This better be good, Rem, cause you're walkn' a thin line." Baloo and Wildcat joined her on top of the plane.

"Come here, look." Rem motioned them over. "Now there's nothing 'wrong' with your plane _per se_. Look here at the hydraulics for the ailerons and flaps." She pointed at various points as she spoke. "This system is very outdated as well as inefficient compared to today's standards. If you let me reroute and update these hydraulics, I can probably get an extra ten percent efficiency out of them easy."

"Rem, my plane flies great. I've never had any trouble with the flaps or the ailerons."

"Oh I guarantee you that you'll notice a difference once you've felt how she flies before and after. But enough about that; come look at the engine now."

Baloo crossed his arms. "My _engines_ run fine too."

Rem's smile disappeared. "Just come look, _okay_? My goodness." She gritted her teeth and mumbled under her breath, "_Who's_ the engineer here?"

Baloo sighed and reluctantly trudged over to where she was kneeling by the engine. "Okay, Rem, I'm here. Now what's so important?"

"The inner casings for the engine and some of the circuitry also need some updating. It doesn't need too much fixing. I can probably re-weld the casings pretty quickly. And fixing the circuitry should be a cinch. So what do you say?" She grinned. "Ready to see me work some _magic_?"

Baloo frowned. "I don't know about all this…"

"Of _course_ you don't," Rem almost blurted, but she bit her tongue. She turned around and gestured to Wildcat. _"You've_ been following along, Wildcat. Tell him I'm right!"

"Ah…I think she kinda has a point, Baloo. Maybe the hydraulics could use a _little_ fixing."

Baloo huffed in frustration and turned to him. "Then why haven't you noticed any of this stuff _before_, Wildcat?"

"I don't know. Coincidence, I guess."

Baloo turned back to Rem. "Here's some ground rules I want Wildcat to be with you the whole time…and I want you to tell me exactly everything you're going to do before you do it, every step… Just…be careful with 'er, okay?"

"You can watch too if you want. In fact, _I invite_ you to." Rem's normal cheerfulness returned. "So…can I get started?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Excellent!" Rem thought to herself underneath her smile, "Three down…two left to go. I'll have them all wrapped around my finger before the end; _even_ Kit and Cunningham."

x x x x x

Kit walked into Higher for Higher with Molly following close behind. She was happily enjoying the remnants of a strawberry ice cream cone. There was red all over the rim of her mouth and dripping off her chin, and she had eaten the cone almost down to the tip.

"Hi Miz' Cunningham, we're back," Kit said as he tossed his cap onto the hat rack.

Becky looked over the top of a stack of papers. "Oh hi Kit. Did you two have fun?"

"Yes. I think it's safe to say that the people of Cherry Land are very happy now."

"_Cherry_ Land?"

"It's a long story."

"Molly, wipe your mouth. Haven't I taught you better? Come here." She pulled a paper napkin out of a box on her desk and knelt beside her daughter. "Look, you got it on your clothes too." She wetted the napkin with saliva and began rubbing a spot on Molly's jumper with the tissue vigorously. Then she began wiping Molly's mouth with it.

Molly squirmed and protested. "_Mommy_. That's yucky!"

"Oh quit complaining. I'm almost done…there."

Molly crossed her little arms and grumbled to herself. "How come Kit never has to get his mouth wiped with a spit napkin?"

Kit chuckled. "Hey Miz' Cunningham, where's Baloo and Wildcat? And Rem?"

"I don't know exactly. The last I saw them, they were outside with the Seaduck. I guess they're still out there."

"Thanks." Kit went out the door and down to the dock. He stopped a few feet from the Seaduck. He looked up and saw Rem near the left engine with a welding torch. She had her goggles down over her eyes with a pair of dark shades underneath. Sparks poured off the wing and scattered on the dock below before quickly burning out as she worked inside the engine. Wildcat was working on something on the other side of the engine and Baloo was standing behind Rem, watching.

"Uh-oh. What's she doing?" Kit thought. "They're trusting her with something like that?" Kit climbed up on top of the plane to join them. He approached Baloo. "Hey, guys! What's going on?"

Baloo looked back at him. "Oh hey, Kit. "Rem says she's fixn' my plane."

"Fixing your plane? But there's nothing wrong with your plane, is there?"

Baloo threw up his hands. "That's what _I_ said! But she insists that she can make my plane fly better. I suppose I should trust her…she _is_ an engineer after all."

Kit cocked an eyebrow. "She told you that?"

"Yeah. She says she has a master's degree."

"And you just _believed_ her?"

Baloo scratched his head. "Well I…I don't know. Why not?"

Kit leaned close. "I don't trust her, Baloo. She's _too_ friendly; too eager. And she doesn't look like she could have a degree in much of anything to me."

Kit started when he noticed Rem sanding just behind Baloo. "Hi Rem…I didn't see you come up."

Rem broke into a wide grin. "Hi, Red! It's so good to see you again."

Baloo looked at Kit questioningly. "_Red_?"

"Uh, yeah…it's her nickname for me. Wildcat's is 'Skipper'. She says she only gives nicknames to people she likes."

"Yep. Very true." She raised her goggles back onto her forehead.

Kit was confused when he didn't see the dark shades underneath that he saw there earlier. "Don't you need some shading to protect your eyes when you're welding?"

"I do." She pointed to the goggles. "See I modified my goggles to handle various tasks like this. I've got magnification down in the bottom half of the lenses. Plus I built in this pull-down shading lenses operated by this little lever on the side here." She put her hands on her hips. "Pretty innovative, huh?"

"Um…yeah."

Wildcat peeked his head out from inside the engine. "Hey, Rem, I did everything you said."

"Excellent, Skipper! You're such a nice guy. Thanks."

Wildcat reddened. "You're welcome."

A strong gust of wind suddenly came through. Wildcat stumbled a bit and Baloo and Kit had to grab their caps to keep them from blowing off.

Rem seemed to be unaffected as she deftly hopped over the CO2 canister that she had been using for welding, on her way over to close the access panel on the engine. "Well it looks like we're done here. Ya'll come on down and let's try her out."

They climbed down and met on the dock.

Rem stood under the wing near the engine. She smiled confidently. "Now with my modifications, you're gonna get a better performance out of this bird. I _guarantee_ it!" She looked at Kit and her voice softened. "Hey Red…I'm sorry you don't trust me. I sincerely hope that I can win it somehow.

Kit flushed as red as a beet. "I-I'm sorry I, um didn't know you…um—"

Rem waived her hand. "It's okay, Red. I get this a lot actually. I can show you my college diploma if that'll ease your mind."

"That's…um, okay."

Rem clenched a blonde lock in her fist as she turned to Baloo. "Hey uh, Baloo…about earlier. I'm sorry if I was rather pushy back there. I'm just…well I'm not used to taking orders or having my actions questioned."

Baloo smiled kindly. "Apparently so." He patted her on the shoulder. She reminded him of someone they both knew.

She glanced at his hand on her shoulder. She lightly shrugged it off and took a step back. "It was … well I shoulda asked you before I went 'snooping around' in your plane, as you say." She laughed lightly. "I didn't mean to be a 'snoop'."

"Hey no hard feelings, Rem. Ya fixed up my plane, didn't ya?"

Another gust of wind forced Kit to grab at his cap again. The wind continued to pick up and the CO2 canister teetered neat the edge of the wing

Baloo looked up at the sky. "Uh-oh…that doesn't feel right."

"Ya think another storm is coming?" Rem asked.

"Could be."

Suddenly the CO2 fell from the wing and dropped straight towards Rem. Kit's eyes widened. "Rem, look out—!"

Rem's ear twitched, sensing the falling tank. She quickly stepped to one side. The CO2 hit the dock just millimeters from her nose and smashed through the wood, splashing into the water below. "Darn it. Shoulda been more careful where I set that thing." Rem smiled at the others sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm…usually not that careless…" She trailed off when she noticed that they were all staring at her. She looked from each of them to the other, raising an eyebrow. "What's…wrong?"

Baloo broke into smile and started laughing. "Whoa, that was some fancy footwork, kid! It looked like you were gonna be a _goner_ there for second."

Kit jumped forward. "Alright, Rem. Cut the act! Who are you really and why are you _really_ here? First at Louie's and now here. You're clearly a lot smarter than you're acting. What are you after?"

Baloo stepped up beside him. "Hold on, Kit, you're jumpn' to conclusions—"

Kit ignored him. He glared at the bobtail. "Well, Rem…how about it?"

Rem looked at him for a moment, frowning. She didn't like the look in his eye. I was starting to annoy her. "Red, we discussed this." Her mood lightened and she broke back into her usual smile. "I've just always been quick on my toes. It runs in my family. I'm not…some kinda…specially trained secret agent or…whatnot. As to the way I acting—it's my personality. I like to goof around, that's all. I'm not trying to trick ya'll or something. Look, let's take your bird here for a spin. I said I could make her fly better, didn't I? Come and I'll show you I'm being honest with you guys."

Baloo put his hands on Kit's shoulders. "Cut her some slack, Lil' Britches." He smiled at Rem. "I agree. Let's see if your money is where your mouth is, kid"

"Deeee-light-ed-to, _SIR_!" Rem said, giving a mock salute. She turned and headed into the plane.

Kit continued to regard Rem with great distrust, as they all boarded the Seaduck.

Rem motioned to the pilot's seat. "After you."

Baloo sat down there and Kit moved into the co-pilot's seat. Rem looked between Baloo and Kit for a second. "Um, shouldn't I be in the co-pilot's seat? So I can direct the demonstration?"

"Kit's my navigator, this is always where he sits."

"_He's _your navigator?…Okay, whatever." She and Wildcat took places behind Baloo and Kit, respectively.

Baloo fired the engines and they roared up. He began to taxi away from the dock and turned towards some nearby guide buoys. "Hmm…started up without a sputter," Baloo thought. "'Course, could just be a coincidence. I've started the engines up without a hitch before."

The Seaduck picked up speed as Baloo guided it straight towards the split in the Cape Suzette cliffs.

Rem looked over his shoulder at the speed gauge. "Alright, pull up."

Baloo looked at her as if she had just told him to jump out of the plane right there. "Are you crazy, lady? We're only going _fifty_."

"Trust me. You've have much more power in the engines to work with now. Go ahead and pull up. I'd stake my reputation on this."

"Ya already have." Baloo pulled back on the wheel. The plane lifted a little and then came back down."

"Try again. Give it some more throttle."

Baloo pulled back again. The plane began to lift off the water, slowly but surely. Baloo pushed the throttle almost all the way to full. He felt a surge of power in the engines that took him by surprise. The Seaduck lifted gracefully off the sparkling surface of the water and was airborne.

"Impressive, Rem. _Impressive_!"

"Told you you'd like it."

The Seaduck continued through the cliffs and emerged over the vast sea.

"Alright Baloo, now let's try some maneuvers. Try a flip, a barrel roll, and then a quick turnaround maneuver. You'll be impressed."

"Alright…here we go. Hold onto your seats." Baloo tilted the nose up for a flip. After coming out of that, he went straight into a barrel roll. Finally he ended with the quick turnaround. Baloo stared and the flight controls, breathless. "Rem, I've never pulled off something like that with so much power and responsiveness before! Rem…you've certainly proved your worth."

Kit slumped down into his seat. "This has to be some kind of confection. So she was telling the truth on _this_ one. This doesn't prove anything…"

Baloo laughed. "I bet ol' Karny and those air pirates will be in for surprise if they try to catch _this_ bird now."

Rem's face suddenly exhibited a measure of fear. "You…you have _air pirates_ around here?"

"Yeah out here, but its perfectly safe inside Cape Suzette."

"How…is that?"

"Look down. Outside."

Rem looked out the window and saw that they were flying alongside the cliffs. She studied them, trying to figure out what Baloo was talking about. Her ears suddenly moved forward. "Wait…are those…cannons?"

"You betcha! It's the cliff guns of Cape Suzette! No pirate has ever gotten passed them. At least not from the air, anyway."

Rem came away from the window and looked at Baloo intently. "Are you…sure."

"As sure as a quamquat tree on Mount Neverrest

"Alright…as long as you're sure." Rem stared out the window again. "_That's a relief._"

x x x x x

The Seaduck set down once again upon the waters of the bay and docked in front of Higher for Hire The four people onboard stepped out and headed back up the wharf towards the H4H building.

Baloo couldn't stop talking. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Rem that was _amazing_. What college did you got to? Engineers really are miracle workers, just like they say.

Rem was basking in the attention. "Well I always do my best, Baloo. I always strive for perfection in everything I put my mind to."

"I _believe_ it. Hey, we've been talkn' about my plane too much. You said you're a pilot too, right"

Rem beamed proudly. "Yep. Fourteen years of experience. I've been flying since I was six years old."

"Let's see _your_ plane then."

Rem looked to the side and flushed a bit red. "My…plane?" She laughed a little. "Nah, you don't want to see _my_ plane. It could never compare with a Seaduck. It' really quite bland compared to yours."

"I'll be the judge of that. Come on, bring your plane on over. I wanna see 'er."

"Well…okay then. I'll fly her over tomorrow. She's kinda across town and it's getting late."

Baloo glanced up at the red and orange clouds above. "Well I'll be…you're right. How time flies when you're flyn', huh?"

Rem smoothed down her hair a bit and then slipped her hands into the pockets of her knee-less jeans. "I guess so."

x x x x x

"Mommy, I'm tired." Molly yawned and rubbed here eyes with her little fists. "Are we gonna go home soon?"

"I'm sorry, Molly. Mommy still has a lot of paperwork left to do tonight." Becky glanced at a stack of mail on the end of the desk. "Where is that _Bear_?" she growled.

There was a clattering at the door and Rem, Baloo and Wildcat came into the room, talking amongst themselves. Kit silently trailed a little ways behind them, always keeping Rem in his sight.

"I tell ya, Wildcat, that loop was—"

Becky stood up and slapped the desktop with her palms, glaring at Baloo. "Baloo? Where have you been all this time? Did you forget to take these letters to the post office and straighten up the storage room like I asked you to earlier?"

Baloo stopped talking and stared at the stack of letters for a little bit. "I'm sorry Becky…I couldn't help it. Ya see, I was gonna do it but then air pirates—"

Becky quickly cut him off, "You know what, Baloo…don't bother answering that question. Just take these letters now and go down to the post office before the night mail closes by seven, all right? At least do _that_ much." Goodness, give someone a simple task…," she grumbled.

Baloo crossed his arms and scowled at her. "_You_ got, legs. What's wrong with you doing it?"

Rem shifted uncomfortably as she listened to the dispute. She looked back at Wildcat and Kit. They seemed unaffected.

"I have too much work to do Baloo. Just _go_! Why does it always have to be some _excuse_ with you?" Becky felt a familiar tug on her sleeve.

Becky looked down and saw Molly looking up at her with pleading eyes. "Please mommy, stop fighting. I don't like it." A tear began to form in her eye.

Becky sighed and picked up her daughter and held her in the crook of her arm. "Oh Molly, its okay. Adults just have disagreements sometimes. Don't worry about it." Becky looked at Rem. "Don't take Baloo as an example of what to expect around here, Rem. I expect you to _work_ while you're here. There hasn't been anything going on today because it's Sunday. But, starting tomorrow, no more goofing around…for anyone. Got it?"

Rem gave her a thumbs up. "Sure…Got it, boss."

"Miss Cunningham, please."

Rem rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, _sorry_."

Becky and Rem locked eyes and they stood there for a few moments, glaring at each other. Rem slowly clenched her fists as the staring showdown continued.

The silence was interrupted when Baloo cleared his throat. "Ahem…well I guess I'll go take those letters to the post office.

"Hey, Tiny, where's that guest room you told me about earlier?" Rem asked.

Baloo raised an eyebrow. "Tiny? A nickname?"

Rem smiled at him with a noticeable sparkle in her eye. "It seemed fitting."

"Very funny."

"You're welcome."

Rem heard a short, barely audible gasp come from Wildcat's direction. She glanced at him and he casually looked away, reddening ever so slightly.

"The guest room's up the stairs on the far end of the balcony," Baloo said.

Rem turned to him. "Huh? Oh, right. Thanks. I guess I'll go up and check it out."

"Like I said; I haven't been in there in ages. Don't say I didn't warn ya."

"I…get your drift." Rem walked to the foot of the stairs and then stopped. She sensed Wildcat watching her rather closely. Rem turned half way around towards him. Again, he averted his eyes.

Rem continued up the stairs to the guest room as Baloo left carrying the stack of letters.

Rem reached to door and turned the knob. After a loud squeak, the door creaked open. Rem found a small room with a single window looking out onto the nearby street and Higher for Hire sign. There was a metal frame bed in the center of the room with a thin, stained mattress and a scraggly pillow on top. There were no sheets the bed, though. There was also a small table beside the bed with a shadeless lamp sitting on top. There were patches of cobwebs on everything.

Rem stared at the scene for a moment. "Man…this place _does_ need some work. She walked over to the lamp and flipped the switch on it. The bulb lit up. "Ah…at least that midriff works." She slapped the mattress with the palm of her hand and a plume of dust rose into the air that nearly choked her. Rem coughed and tried to wave the dust away. Not achieving much success with that, Rem opened the single window up as far as it would go, letting a gust of much need fresh air into the room. Rem coughed again as the dust blew around the room. "Well I've slept in worse places before. I _think_."

She dragged the mattress and pillow down stairs and outside, where she beat as much dust out of them as she could and took them back to the room. She stood over the mattress with her hands on hips. "It'll do for now." She lay down on the bed to rest her back. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, putting her hands behind her head. She looked up at the ceiling and smiled. "Ya know…I think I'll stay right here...indefinitely," she mused. Rem closed her eyes again and let herself doze.

x x x x x

There was a sharp creaking as Rem opened the door to the guest room and peeked out. She had taken off her jeans but she still wore the tee shirt, which covered her modestly enough. Everything was dark except for a night light near the door to Baloo and Kit's room and a little light from a lamp somewhere downstairs. She exited the room and stole silently towards the stairs. Unbeknownst to her, behind her, Kit opened his door a crack to investigate footsteps he heard heading away from the guest room. He was startled and a little embarrassed at first, not expecting to find her half-dressed. He ducked partway back into the room. A moment later, he peered out again.

"_What's she doing now?_" he thought.

Rem made it about halfway down the stairs when she heard a familiar voice coming from just below her.

"Rem? What are you _doing_?"

Rem jumped at the sound of Becky's voice and looked to see her still working down at the desk. Beside her, on a small bedroll on the floor, lay Molly, fast asleep

Rem smiled. "Oh, I didn't know anybody was down here. So…you're working late?"

"Yes."

"Well, I just saw the light. I was wondering what was going on. Well I'll leave you to your work. G'night." Rem climbed back up the stairs and returned to the guest room. Becky watched with a raised eyebrow as Rem left.

When Rem reached the door, she stopped. Her left ear twitched at some noise behind her. Kit quickly shut his door, thinking that she may have heard him. He waited a few seconds and the looked out once again. Rem was gone and the guest room door was closed.

Kit scratched his head. "_What in the world?_"

x x x x x

Down by the Cape Suzette docks, a soft drizzle fell on the dark shapes of boats and aircraft parked there. The night was completely black; the moon and the stars were nowhere in site. An occasional street light illuminated barnacle encrusted hulls and reflected off rows upon rows of windshields. Rem's plane rocked at its tether in the cold water as the night wind beat against it. The wind picking up speed amid the calm of a rising squall. The docks lit up brilliantly for an instant as a thick bold of lightening ripped across the pitch sky. Inside Rem's small craft the power light on the radio glowed red in the darkness.

Then, a voice crackled from the receiver. "Rem...you, Rem? Do you hear me? Zis iz Helmut…..Remmie?…I'm ready to pick up ze package…zat Karnage character does not suspect zat…..Ling iz vaiting…..Yoshi…vorried about…..try to get to you as soon as you can tell me vere to find you. Helmut out."

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